Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-02-23
a rnult Of Our System Z.

Inere are OlWcultleb III tHo way VI
the United States receiving the best
results in navy equipment by the fact
that Congress-composed of repre-
sentatives of all classes and all cal
lings-must be consulted with refer
ence to every expenditure. The. dis
cretionary power that should be re-
posed in the Secretary of the Navy, is
brought into opposition and rendered
nugatory by the superior power OF a
parliamentary body, which from the
very nature of its constitution, cannot
practically deal with questions OF this
character. In France, the Minister OF
Marine does not bring before the
Cha mber of Deputies or the Senate a
proposition for the construction of a
vessel to have speed of so many
knots, to carry SO many guns and to
cost o many francs. Nor in England
does the First Lord of the Admiralty
thi NIX it necessary to offer to Parlia-
ment full details of the construction
of every ship which he proposes to
add to the British navy. In both coun-
tr les the minister merely makes such
estim ates as he considers necessary,
which are voted upon in bulk, and
either passed intact or reduced by
Parliament after which the minister
and bis expert advisers undertake
VIII atever improvements are neces-
sary, the minister being, of course,
responsible to the country for the
proper expenditure of the money. But
in the United States a totally differ
ent system prevails. Congress de-
cides upon each individual vessel ad-
ded to the navy-upon its cost, its
dimensions and its design. Congress
orders the Secretary of the Navy to
provide vessel of given tonnage and
to attain a specified speed, furnishing
him with a certain fixed sum for the
purpo Sc, which sum must not be ex
ceeded. As Congress knows, in gen.
eral, nothing at all about ships, it not
unnaturally happens from time to time
that what it demands is an impossi-
bility. A New Orleans contemporary,
the Times Democrat, which has ex-
hibited keen intelligence in discussing
the great question OF coast defenses
and naval protection, gives us some
very striking facts leading to thor
ough understanding of the viciousness
of our system in connection with the
effort to build up navy worthy of
the dignity and power of the United
States. 1t points to the fact that
Congress recently directed Secretary
Whitney to construct seagoing tor
pedo boats to develop speed of
twenty-four knots, each boat to cost
100000. Now, Mr.. G. H. Cramp, of
the firm OF Cramp Bros, the eminent
Philadelphia ship builders, who con-
structed the Atalanta and the Peer
less, the two fastest steam yachts
afoat, recently showed in the col
umns OF the New York Herald that it
is impossible to turn out such torpedo
boats for 100000. What, then, is
going to be done about it? Is the
construction OF these boats to be be-
gun and carried on until the sum ap-
propriated for each is exhausted,
when they would be left unfinished?
Or will Secretary Whitney have to
content himself with less expensive
and less speed than that
indicated? Again, Mr.. Cramp states
that his firm "has recently offered to
. foreign government a design for a
cruiser OF about 5000 tons dis
placement, to carry main |
battery OF eight six-inch guns,
with a suitable secondary battery of
rapid firing and machine guns, to
have protective deck over the boil
ers, machinery and magazines, and
to develop rate Of twenty knots on
the measured mile. The design was
offered in competition with European
builders. 1t is now under ccnsidera-